Adam Thielen is headed back to Minnesota, and it looks like a win for all parties involved – a trade that makes sense for both the Vikings and the Panthers.
Minnesota picks up some depth at wide receiver. That has value, with Jordan Addison down for the first three games and Jalen Nailor working through a hand injury. They drafted Tai Felton in the third round, but he doesn’t look ready to play yet. All of which makes Thielen look like a perfect short-term fit.
Thielen (who’s from the state) just turned 35. The Vikings, recall, opted to move on from himafter nine seasons two years ago. But he can still play at a decent level, for at least short stretches. He caught 103 passes in 2023, and he was balling at the end of last season.
After coming back from an injury, Thielen last year caught 40 passes for 506 yards and 4 TDs in his final seven games. In PPR leagues, those per-game numbers were the 17th-best among wide receivers who started at least seven games in the second half of last season).
| LEADING RECEIVERS (2nd H of season) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | No | Yds | Run | TD | PPR |
| Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 8 | 72 | 991 | 21 | 10 | 29.2 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 7 | 48 | 669 | 30 | 5 | 21.1 |
| Tee Higgins, Cin. | 7 | 44 | 570 | 42 | 7 | 21.0 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 9 | 67 | 799 | 6 | 6 | 20.4 |
| Davante Adams, NYJ | 8 | 53 | 679 | 0 | 6 | 19.9 |
| Jerry Jeudy, Cle. | 8 | 57 | 811 | 0 | 3 | 19.8 |
| Brian Thomas, Jac. | 8 | 52 | 687 | 33 | 5 | 19.3 |
| Puka Nacua, LAR | 9 | 59 | 767 | 34 | 4 | 18.1 |
| Malik Nabers, NYG | 8 | 54 | 647 | 2 | 4 | 18.1 |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 9 | 55 | 750 | 0 | 5 | 17.8 |
| Drake London, Atl. | 8 | 50 | 719 | -3 | 3 | 17.5 |
| Courtland Sutton, Den. | 8 | 45 | 582 | 0 | 6 | 17.4 |
| Ladd McConkey, LAC | 8 | 47 | 709 | 0 | 3 | 17.2 |
| Terry McLaurin, Was. | 8 | 40 | 498 | 0 | 7 | 16.5 |
| CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 7 | 48 | 534 | 18 | 2 | 16.5 |
| A.J. Brown, Phil. | 8 | 44 | 635 | 0 | 4 | 16.4 |
| Adam Thielen, Car. | 7 | 40 | 506 | 0 | 4 | 16.4 |
| Jordan Addison, Min. | 9 | 44 | 602 | 4 | 7 | 16.3 |
| DJ Moore, Chi. | 9 | 61 | 592 | 60 | 3 | 16.2 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 8 | 50 | 562 | 26 | 3 | 15.9 |
| Jameson Williams, Det. | 9 | 41 | 640 | 29 | 5 | 15.3 |
| Jakobi Meyers, L.V. | 8 | 48 | 597 | 20 | 2 | 15.2 |
| Jalen McMillan, T.B. | 7 | 27 | 352 | 15 | 7 | 15.1 |
| Keenan Allen, Chi. | 9 | 49 | 547 | 0 | 5 | 14.9 |
| Nico Collins, Hou. | 7 | 36 | 439 | 0 | 4 | 14.8 |
| Cooper Kupp, LAR | 8 | 42 | 508 | 0 | 4 | 14.6 |
| Tyreek Hill, Mia. | 9 | 47 | 513 | 17 | 5 | 14.4 |
| Marvin Mims, Den. | 8 | 32 | 447 | 25 | 6 | 14.4 |
| Jauan Jennings, S.F. | 9 | 52 | 571 | 18 | 3 | 14.3 |
| Xavier Worthy, K.C. | 8 | 40 | 403 | 67 | 4 | 13.9 |
| Calvin Ridley, Ten. | 9 | 37 | 618 | 23 | 3 | 13.2 |
| Michael Pittman, Ind. | 7 | 39 | 442 | 0 | 1 | 12.7 |
| Josh Downs, Ind. | 7 | 34 | 392 | 0 | 2 | 12.2 |
| Garrett Wilson, NYJ | 8 | 41 | 441 | 0 | 2 | 12.1 |
| Marvin Harrison, Ari. | 8 | 34 | 440 | 0 | 3 | 12.0 |
| Jaylen Waddle, Mia. | 7 | 30 | 434 | 5 | 2 | 12.0 |
| Khalil Shakir, Buff. | 7 | 34 | 350 | 0 | 2 | 11.6 |
| Alec Pierce, Ind. | 7 | 18 | 389 | 0 | 4 | 11.6 |
| Quentin Johnston, LAC | 9 | 37 | 429 | 0 | 4 | 11.5 |
| Marquez Valdes-Scantling, N.O. | 7 | 16 | 380 | 4 | 4 | 11.2 |
For the Panthers, they pick up some draft position in the next two drafts. More notable, they create some room for their other receivers to grow. They’ve selected receivers in the first round two years in a row (Xavier Legette, Tetaroira McMillan) and they’ve also got Jalen Coker, who actually outperformed Legette last year. With Thielen out of the way, they perhaps lose some veteran leadership, but it should give those guys the opportunity to develop faster, with more playing time and targets.
For fantasy purposes, I’m moving all three of those Carolina wide receivers up a little on my board.
On the Minnesota side, this trade extinguishes any flickering thought of Nailor having some fill-in value while Addison is sitting out. But I will pass on rostering Thielen in hopes of him being usable in September. Justin Jefferson and Addison are still the top wide receivers in that offense, and I don’t think it affects them much.
—Ian Allan